PRESS RELEASE

23.06.04

Victory for Vulcan - XH558 will fly

The Vulcan to the Sky Team is celebrating!

£2,738,000 of funds granted to Vulcan to the Sky (VTS) will ensure that Avro Vulcan

XH558 passes to the nation for restoration, 10-15 years of display flight and to the

Imperial War Museum , Duxford in perpetuity. The grant also enables a new

programme of education, which will convey the story of The Cold War to the widest

possible audience, many for the first time..

Following their Stage One Pass announced in December 2003 the Heritage Lottery

Fund (HLF) have agreed the grant to VTS which means that when the

partnership funding is in place, the VTS Trustees can give the go ahead for

restoration to commence.

Sheila Stone, Heritage Lottery Fund Regional Manager for the East Midlands , said:

The Avro Vulcan XH558 has played an important role in the UK 's aviation history and I am pleased that we have been able to support its acquisition and, uniquely in this instance, restoration to full flying condition. A design icon, the Vulcan will once more be seen in the air enabling the public to appreciate its intricate technical excellence and awesome power. The Heritage Lottery Fund believes passionately that heritage, of all types, should be opened up to as many people as possible; the accompanying education programme, devised by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, will additionally give people the opportunity to learn more about the Vulcan's fascinating story."

This grant of £2,738,000 together with the partnership funding

raised by donation, corporate support and fundraising will make up the £3,970,000

required for the project.

This is indeed history in the making,said Dr Robert Pleming, Project Director of

VTS Although we have thought that this day would come it seems to have taken

forever and it is hard to really believe that at last we can commence the work on

XH558 to return her to her rightful place in the sky. Emotions are running high but

we will soon come back to earth and begin the very serious work of recreating an

airworthy Vulcan.

Funds have been donated by supporters who have become €˜Friends€™ of VTS, are

members of the VTS Club (formerly the Vulcan 558 Club), fundraising activities such

as the highly successful Concorde raffle first prize donated by British Airways and

this years VTS raffle with the first prize of a flight in a Jet Provost donated by Neil

McCarthy of Jet Provost Ltd. This combined with corporate support from Spectrum

Capital and Norton Rose, LMA International, Phoenix Simulation, Aerobytes, ,

JRLees, Ramms, and Greenways has all made this dream possible.

Says, Sir Michael Knight, Chairman of the Board of Trustees who

will be custodians of XH558 for the nation.

This is wonderful news and a great credit to a dedicated and hard working team who have spent the last seven years making this possible. We wish to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for their vision in seeing the significance of the restoration to flight of the last remaining Vulcan and the telling of the Cold War story. Victory for Vulcan is so apt as the V- force played such a vital part in the Cold War, which was a global influence from 1945 until 1991.

A story that VTS will bring to the widest possible audience and share with them the realities of a war that never became hotbut kept peace in Europe , that perennial cockpit of war, at that time. We are delighted and as custodians of this awesome part of British Heritage we feel the responsibility of our role. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in this project and has made today possible€

Vulcan XH558 is hangared at Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire and work to prepare

the hangar and recruit specialist engineers to work with Marshall of Cambridge to

begin the restoration will commence as soon as possible. An A8-20 is

required from the CAA and after that, provided the partnership funding is there, it

will be all systems go!

Without the support of all our Friends and donors we could not have achieved this

amazing goal. Thank you and congratulations. Funds are still required to complete

the partnership undertaking so all donations are still vital. Everyone will now be able

to see the end in sight; the culmination of years of dogged determination,

tremendous public support and heritage significance - combined, it spells victory.

The future calls. We are rolling, please join us says Felicity Irwin, Campaign

Director.

Ends

Contact for further detail and pics

VTS Felicity Irwin

Campaign Director

Vulcan to the Sky 01258 841274 pager 07626 312763

Email vulcantothsky@aol.com www.vulcantothesky.com

HLF Katie Owen

Senior Press Officer, Heritage Lottery Fund

7 Holbein Place

London SW1W 8NR

Direct line: 020 7591 6036 Fax: 020 7591 6270

Email: katieo@hlf.org.uk www.hlf.org.uk